Monday, February 15, 2016

Should this post be regulated?

George Will could have mentioned one often overlooked facet of the campaign finance reform debate ("Sanders, Clinton attack free speech, " Feb 14).

The Constitution empowers Congress to regulate the "Times, Places and Manner of holding" federal elections. It does not, however, empower Congress to regulate election campaigns or campaign contributions.

And how can they be regulated? There's more to the campaign than advertising. Our political thinking can be influenced by anything from a novel written decades ago to a comedian's satiric Tweet to conversations with friends.

To single out paid advertising for regulation is an arbitrary and capricious standard. Let groups of people be free to express their beliefs collectively, just as they are free to do so individually.